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<\/p>\nIt’s December, a month when people start thinking about their New Year’s resolutions. This year you might want to cut out all the losing weight, eating better, and saving money resolutions and just choose one good resolution that takes care of all of these issues – grow a garden.<\/p>\n
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Gardens are healthy, encourage smart eating habits, and can save you money. <\/a> For example…<\/p>\n A study<\/a> (pdf) done at Texas A & M University shows that patients in hospitals with gardens gain major benefits simply from looking at the garden. The study points out that simply “Viewing nature settings can produce significant restoration within less than five minutes as indicated by positive changes, for instance, in blood pressure, heart activity, muscle tension, and brain electrical activity.<\/em>” Furthermore people exposed to exposed to plants and nature settings experience ower levels of fear and anger, and report far higher levels of positive feelings.<\/p>\n Gardening is an active task and when done correctly can be a workout<\/a> but it’s also been shown to be a relaxing active activity that can significantly lower blood pressure<\/strong><\/a> in people with hypertension and prehypertension and even fights osteoporosis<\/a>.<\/p>\n Other experts note that fresh produce is superior to frozen or non-local because over time, vitamin stability decreases. Temperature changes, air and artificial light exposure all rob fruits and vegetables of nutrients which is why your homegrown garden produce is going to be a healthier bet<\/a> than the stuff sitting around at the supermarket.<\/p>\n Youth who garden<\/a> grow stronger nature appreciation skills which can lead to smarted green living. Youth also gain hands on skills, gain engaging connections to academics, introduces them to healthful foods, plus research has shwon that kids who spend time in green spaces<\/a> have reduced symptoms of attention-deficit disorder, obesity and ADHD. Community gardens provide a great way for kids to\u00a0 improve and give back to the community.<\/p>\n Based on the above it makes sense to put a stop to all the other resolutions and just have one simple garden resolution. If you’ve got a little bit of land why not plan on growing a garden this spring?<\/p>\n [image via stock.xchng]<\/p>\n Post from: Blisstree<\/a><\/p>\n